What Happened When Microsoft Tried To Buy Nintendo?
For what feels like as long as time itself, it's been a battle at the top of the video game world between Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. Over the decades, the big three have duked it out with their various consoles and IPs as the likes of SEGA and Atari have been pushed to the sidelines.
Whether you're loopy for Lara Croft, mad for Mario, or fall for Fable, chances are you have a favourite. The thing is, the current landscape of video games could've been completely different and turned this trio to a duo. That's right, here's the story of what happened when Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo.
As the great console wars of the next generation heat up, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 have locked horns. Although both consoles are only in their infancy, the facts speak for themselves as Sony nudges ahead of Microsoft with its supersized PS5. That being said, the Xbox Series X and Series S are far from dead and buried, while it's important to remember 2021 should be huge for Microsoft with the (hopeful) release of Halo Infinite. Doing its own thing, Mario and co. are reportedly tinkering away on the Nintendo Switch Pro.
What happened when Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo?
In Bloomberg's oral history of the Xbox (via Eurogamer), Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo in the run-up to the release of the original Xbox. According to Kevin Bachus, Microsoft's former Director of Third-Party Relations, the execs actually managed to secure a meeting with Nintendo - it just didn't go very well. "Steve [Ballmer, ex-Microsoft CEO] made us go meet with Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired", said Bachus. "They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went".
Former Head of Business Development Bob McBreen added that Microsoft then met Nintendo in January 2000 in the hopes that Xbox would build hardware for Nintendo games. Again, it was a frosty reception for Microsoft. McBreen explained, "We actually had Nintendo in our building in January 2000 to work through the details of a joint venture where we gave them all the technical specs of the Xbox.
"The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did. So the idea was, 'Listen, you're much better at the game portions of it with Mario and all that stuff. Why don't you let us take care of the hardware?' But it didn't work out".
Who else did Microsoft try to buy?
The whole story makes Microsoft sound a little desperate back in the day. Before approaching Nintendo, the corporation set its sights on Electronic Arts, which similarly laughed Microsoft out of the room. After that, it was over to Japan to try and snare Nintendo. The whole EA thing is kind of ironic considering EA Play is now a big part of the Xbox Games Pass subscription.
Another company put on the table was Square Enix, but yet again, Microsoft couldn't persuade the publisher to join forces. Microsoft reportedly went in too low for Square Enix, while the potential acquisition of Mortal Kombat's Midway Games was scuppered by the developer and publisher's pre-existing deal with PlayStation. In the end, Microsoft "settled" on Bungie. Of course, Bungie gifted the Xbox Halo and inadvertently gave Microsoft what is arguably its biggest IP. It's hard to imagine the Xbox being anywhere near as popular as it is today with Master Chief blasting the aliens of the Covenant to pieces.
These days, Microsoft is back on its buying bandwagon and has just made a landmark deal to acquire Zenimax Media. The umbrella company includes the huge name of Bethesda, meaning everything from DOOM to The Elder Scrolls, Fallout to Starfield will now fall under the jurisdiction of Phil Spencer. Microsoft has already said it (probably) won't make Bethesda games Xbox exclusives, however, the deal is about as big as they come in the video game world.
As for when Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo, it's just another piece of video game history. For now, Nintendo is happy in its own little lane as you travel to Tom Nook's paradise, rescue Princess Peach all over again, and restore peace to Hyrule on the Nintendo Switch. Still, it's easy to imagine a gritty Halo crossover where Mario is kitted out in Master Chief's armour.
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